Cougar v. Mandasaurus

Crap!
Chicago Police killed a 150-pound cougar mere miles away from the Mandasaurus' homestead.

I called my best friend - a returned Peace Corps volunteer and general bad-ass - her advice on cougar attacks:

"Fight back. Fight back as hard as you can."

Seriously!?! I'm supposed to fight a cougar? A fierce cat that weighs nearly as much as me?

Seriously. According to my research, a cougar can definitely out-run me (despite my stellar 5K finish). I can't freak it out with my panic dance - panic might cause cougar-frenzy. I also should not play dead:

Whatever you do, don’t play dead—this will likely cause the cougar to drag you to a private area and have its way with you.

Jeez!

Don't worry. A city-dwelling Mandasaurus like me can deal with a cougar no problem with alertness, composure and moxie.